Distributed computer systems, in particular process control systems, are composed of a multiplicity of distributed components that are interrelated, for example in client-server relationships. The components of the distributed system, each of which provide one or more functionalities, are distributed over a plurality of computers or data processing devices, also referred to below as system nodes. Examples of system nodes used in the automation system are operator stations, engineering stations, archiving stations, control equipment comprising processing stations, and input and output units. The system nodes are connected together via one or more physical networks.
Operating systems, user software, control programs and various functional components of the process control system are installed on the system nodes, with the individual system nodes, including their various functional components, being dependent on each other in a variety of ways.
There are a range of tools for installing and maintaining hardware and/or software in a distributed automation system, which, for example, install new systems, system updates, system upgrades to a higher version and system expansions incorporating additional functionalities, or which perform system analyses. These processes, however, do not include functionalities distributed over a plurality of system nodes.
The current approach to software installation and maintenance assumes that computers are functionally self-contained. For installation and maintenance tasks on distributed systems, it is usually necessary to execute different installation and configuration steps separately in a specific, predefined sequence on every system node. At present, there is no tool that manages on a system-wide basis the system updates, system upgrades, system expansions or system analyses, also known as life cycle management, of a distributed system.
In addition, existing procedures only handle individual computers in a distributed system independently of each other.
Further disadvantages of today's system installation procedures and system maintenance procedures relate to the fact that in order to install and maintain the new software, the user must interact with every desktop, and must often cover large distances between the individual computers, for example by means of a remote maintenance console.